1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of program installation, a method and a recording medium therefor.
2. Related Background Art
In case of printing, with a color printer, an image prepared by a host computer such as a personal computer, the color reproduction of the output image may be different depending on the output conditions such as the kind of the color printer, kind of the printing medium to be used, image processing method by the printer driver etc.
Also the color reproduction may become different between the color image displayed on the display device of the host computer and that printed on the color printer, because of the difference in the reproducible color range among the devices such as the display device of the host computer and the color printer, or the difference in the color space employed in such device.
Also in case of inputting a color image from a color image input device such as a color scanner or a digital camera and outputting (printing or displaying) such color image with a color image output device such as a color printer or a color display, the color reproduction of the image may become different because of the difference in the reproducible color range of the devices such as the color image input device and the color image output device and the difference in the color space employed in such devices.
In the following explanation will be made particularly on a color printer, but it is applicable also to other color image output devices such as a color display or other color image input device such as a color scanner or a digital camera.
For compensating the above-mentioned difference in the color reproduction, there is executed a color correction by an operating system or a printer driver functioning on the host computer. In order to reflect the above-described output conditions on such color correction process, there is known a method, in executing the color correction process, of reading a data file describing the characteristics of the output colors of the color printer under the above-mentioned output conditions from a specified area of the external memory of the host computer and executing the color correction based on the data of such data file.
A color correction process employing a data file based on the ICC (International Color Consortium) profile format as the above-mentioned data is being employed in the color matching systems based on various operating systems.
FIG. 12 is a view showing the concept of the color matching system.
In order to execute color correction by such process under the various output conditions, it is necessary to prepare, in advance, the characteristics of the output colors in various combinations of the output conditions as data files in the external memory of the host computer.
For this reason, in installing the printer driver into the host computer, the entire data file group mentioned above is copied, together with the printer driver, in the external memory of the host computer. Also in the uninstallation of the printer driver, the entire group of the data files is deleted together with the printer driver.
The installation method, uninstallation method and color correction process are utilized also in case plural host computers on a network utilize color printers of a same kind. Thus, in the installation of the printer driver, the entire data file group is installed in the external memory of each host computer.
At the color correction process, the operating system or the printer driver executes color correction process on each host computer, independently from other host computers. At the uninstallation of the printer driver, the above-mentioned data file group stored in the external memory of each host computer is entirely deleted independently from other host computers.
The conventional color correction process described above allows to execute appropriate color correction under various printing conditions, utilizing the data file group mentioned above. However, such printing conditions amount to a very large number of combinations, and each data file corresponding to each printing condition has a large capacity, so that the entire data file group described above always occupies a very large area in the external memory of each host computer.
Also at the installation of the printer driver into each host computer, the data file group mentioned above has to be entirely installed. Consequently, a large data amount has to be transferred from the software distribution medium such as a CD-ROM to the external memory of the host computer, and a large amount of time is therefore required for installation.
These drawbacks are similarly encountered in an environment where plural host computers utilize the color printer of a same kind on a computer network.
The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, thereby reducing the time required for installation.
The above-mentioned object can be attained, according to the present invention, by an information processing apparatus connected in communicable manner with an electronic device for inputting or outputting a color image and provided with a memory unit capable of installing a first control program for the electronic device and a color correction data file (data file for color correction process) associated with the first control program from a computer readable predetermined memory medium, the apparatus comprising:
first search means for searching, through a network, another information processing apparatus installed with a second control program for controlling an electric device similar in characteristics to the electronic device controlled by the first control program; and
first control means for controlling use of the color correction data file stored in the predetermined memory medium, based on the search result obtained by the first search means.
According to the present invention there is also provided an information processing apparatus connected in communicable manner with an electronic device for inputting or outputting a color image and provided with a memory unit in which a first control program for the electronic device and plural color correction data files associated with the first control program are installed from a computer readable predetermined memory medium, the apparatus comprising:
second search means for searching, through a network, another information processing apparatus installed with a second control program for controlling an electric device similar in characteristics to the electronic device controlled by the first control program; and
second control means for executing transfer control on the plural color correction data files to another information processing apparatus searched by the second search means.
According to the present invention there is also provided an information processing apparatus connected in communicable manner with an electronic device for inputting or outputting a color image and provided with a memory unit in which a first control program for the electronic device and plural color correction data files associated with the first control program are installed from a computer readable predetermined memory medium and adapted to execute a color correction process based on any of the plural color correction data files, the apparatus comprising:
selection means for selecting any of the color correction data files according to the condition of a color image processing executed by the electronic device;
first discrimination means for discriminating whether the color correction data file selected by the selection means is present in the memory unit;
third search means adapted, in case the first discrimination means discriminates that the color correction data file selected by the selection means is not present in the memory unit, to search another information processing apparatus installed with a second control program for controlling an electronic device similar in characteristics to the electronic device controlled by the first control program;
second discrimination means for discriminating whether the color correction data file selected by the selection means is installed in another information processing apparatus searched by the third search means; and
transfer means adapted, in case the second discrimination means discriminates that the color correction data file selected by the selection means is installed in the another information processing apparatus, to transfer the color correction data file selected by the selection means from the another information processing apparatus to the information processing apparatus itself.
Other objects of the present invention, and the features thereof, will become fully apparent from the following detailed description which is to be taken in conjunction with the attached drawings.